“Music Became an Important Voice in the Storytelling”: Editor Beverly Mills on Poacher
Poacher, courtesy of Sundance Institute. The hunt for justice on the behalf of slaughtered elephants in India is the basis of Poacher, an eight episode limited series from Richie Mehta. A fledgling team of NGO workers, wildlife conservationists and passionate…
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“In This Case, Starting at the End Made Sense”: Editor Julian Hart on The Deepest Breath
The Deepest Breath, courtesy of Sundance Institute. In Laura McGann’s documentary The Deepest Breath, Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini strives to set the new world record in the extreme sport that entails descending to unimaginable oceanic depths without the use of…
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“An Escape to the Coolest Boho Pad on the Beach”: DP Tim Cragg on The Deepest Breath
The Deepest Breath, courtesy of Sundance Institute. Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini and Irish safety diver Stephen Keenan set their sights on the famous Blue Hole located 184 feet below the Red Sea in The Deepest Breath from documentary filmmaker Laura…
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“We Wanted To Create a Mosaic Film”: Editor Ula Klimek-Piątek on Pianoforte
Pianoforte Jakub Piątek’s documentary Pianoforte follows several young participants in the International Chopin Piano Competition, which has been held in Warsaw every five years since 1927. The competitors navigate intense qualifying rules, several stages and the intimidating presence of world…
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“It Was -30 to -40 Degrees Celsius for Most of the Shoot”: DP Bryn McCashin on My Animal
My Animal, courtesy of Sundance Institute. Heather (Bobbi Salvör Menuez), a hockey player with a troubled home life, becomes instantly drawn to figure skater Jonny (Amandla Stenberg) who’s just rolled into town. Despite being held captive in her own house…
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“My Techniques Are Intuitive”: Editors Marc Boucrot and Jacqueline Castel on My Animal
My Animal, courtesy of Sundance Institute. Lycanthropy serves as a metaphor for burgeoning queer desire in My Animal from director Jacqueline Castel. Heather (Bobbi Salvör Menuez) is a benchwarmer on her local hockey team and deals with an alcoholic mother…
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“You Hope the Work Can Play a Small Part in Moving the Needle Forward”: DP Jeff Hutchens on Murder in Big Horn
Murder in Big Horn, courtesy of Sundance Institute. Dozens of Indigenous women and girls from the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Nations have gone missing over the past decade in Montana’s Big Horn County and its surrounding areas. These cases often…
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“Figuring Out How and When to Peel Back the Layers of the Story Was Crucial”: Editor David Mehlman on Murder in Big Horn
Murder in Big Horn, courtesy of Sundance Institute. The epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) in Montana’s Big Horn County and its surrounding areas is the focus of the doc Murder in Big Horn from directors Razelle Benally…
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“It Was up to the Subject To Choose Their Own Eyeline”: DP Bobby Bukowski on Willie Nelson & Family
Wille Nelson & Family, courtesy of Sundance Institute. Filmmakers Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman capture the seven decade-spanning legacy of one of America’s greatest living musicians in Willie Nelson & Family, a seven-part docuseries that weaves together archival and present-day…
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“I Couldn’t Even Tell You Who Cut What”: Editors Brett Banks and Chris Iversen on Willie Nelson & Family
Wille Nelson & Family, courtesy of Sundance Institute. Archival and present-day footage are utilized to create a non-linear portrait of a legendary singer-songwriter in Willie Nelson & Family, a seven-part docuseries from directors Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman. Encompassing all…
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“From the Beginning I Knew This Film Was About Performance”: DP Frederic Van Zandycke on When It Melts
When It Melts, courtesy of Sundance Institute. The feature film debut from actress Veerle Baetens, When It Melts follows Eva (Charlotte De Bruyne) as she returns to her hometown for a childhood friend’s funeral with an ice block stashed in…
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“This Is Filmmaking as an Artistic and Cultural Necessity”: Editor Nathan Delannoy on Mami Wata
Mami Wata, courtesy of Sundance Institute. The seaside village of Iyi is the setting for C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s mythical Mami Wata, which chronicles the fraught relationship between an all-powerful African water deity and the villagers who are currently embroiled in…
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